


The Moment of Truth

by PorcelanaRota



Series: Dignity and Grace [2]
Category: A Goofy Movie (1995), DuckTales (Cartoon 2017), PKNA - Paperinik New Adventures
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arguing, Donald Duck is the Duck Avenger, Donald has a lot of secrets, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, I Love Donald Duck And It Is A Crime That They Didn't Know He Was Missing, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-01-22 19:26:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21307346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PorcelanaRota/pseuds/PorcelanaRota
Summary: Some of Donald’s friends across the globe aren’t happy to find out about his disappearance through secondary sources.xxXxxSequel to "Always There"
Relationships: José Carioca/Panchito Pistoles, Max Goof & Goofy, Max Goof & Huey Duck
Series: Dignity and Grace [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1504541
Comments: 83
Kudos: 646





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how many chapters this part will have. Two, obviously, but it could be anywhere between 3-5.

“Hello, this is Lyla Lay.”

“Lyla, it’s Roxanne Featherly. I’m calling you as a friend, not as a rival reporter.”

“What? Roxanne, what are you--”

“My boss just came to me with some important news. We are about to report on it now at Channel 17.”

“Cut to the chase, Anne!”

“Scrooge McDuck just filed a missing persons report with the police. It’s Donald. He’s gone. I know you two used to be friends, so I just thought I would tell you so you didn’t find out through the news or from your own boss.” 

“....”

“Lyla? You okay?” 

“...Thanks for telling me, Roxanne.”

“Of course. Look, we are about to go live here at Channel 17. I’ve got to go.”

“Right. Have a good day.”

“You too. And… I’m sorry.”

“Roxa--”

_ Click _ .

* * *

“Chito!” called  José Carioca from the kitchen where he was making lunch to Panchito Pistoles, “I just got a text from Mickey! He says to turn on Channel 17 news!” 

Panchito, lounging on the sofa in the living room, didn’t look up from his cell phone as he replied boredly, “Is Señor Mickey aware that we don’t have access to his American news while we are in Bahia?” 

“Panchito, don’t be rude! Just look up a livestream on that phone you’re so addicted to!” 

He rolled his eyes at his significant other’s scolding but nevertheless pulled up Zoogle and looked up Channel 17 so he could watch a livestream of whatever they were reporting on. 

As soon as the video started playing on his phone, he froze. On the screen was a green-feathered duck, a grimace on her beak, standing in front of the Money Bin in Duckburg. In the corner of the screen was a picture of Donald Duck, his and José’s best friend. Underneath that image was the word MISSING? in big black font. 

_ “....It’s only been fifteen days since wayward niece of Scrooge McDuck, Della Duck, returned to Duckburg, and tragedy has already hit the McDuck family once again. Donald Duck, McDuck’s nephew and legal guardian to Della Duck’s children, has gone missing.”  _

Missing. He couldn’t be missing. This was Donald Duck they were talking about here! He had been in the navy. They had gone on all kinds of adventures together when they were younger. They had fought many mythical beasts together -- it suddenly seemed like it was just yesterday that they reunited and defeated that carnivorous flower in Vila Flor Vermelha. 

That was such a short time ago. Panchito was suddenly so aware of everything he and José didn’t say. 

“Well?” José’s sudden presence behind him startles him from his thoughts, and Panchito jumps, fumbling with his phone. José gives him a concerned look, “What’s wrong,  _ meu amor?” _

“Donald is missing,” he somehow chokes out. 

“Wh-what?” 

“Donald. He… he’s missing.” 

His partner walks around the couch so he can sit next to Panchito. He wraps his neon green feathered arms around him, pulling him close. 

“ _ Meu Deus…. _ ” José whispers tearfully. Panchito finds tears in his own eyes. 

As one, they simultaneously grip at the chains around their necks and pull out the amulets hidden beneath their clothes, and they shift their attention to the live feed. 

_ “....no theories just yet on what could have happened. The most we know at this time is that fifteen days ago, Donald Duck was supposed to go on a relaxing cruise, but never made it on board.” _

* * *

College became more fun for Max Goof after that awkward first semester when he was still trying to figure things out. Now he was a sophomore, and while things were less fun without his dad -- who completed his degree and graduated last semester -- it was still a good time overall. 

Sure, it was stressful, and sure, he didn’t  _ exactly  _ do all his homework when it was assigned. But that was normal. 

It was totally normal to not get any sleep and pull an all-nighter because he had to write an essay that was due the next day. Well, today now. It was fine. 

“This is fine,” Max muttered to himself. His eyelids were so heavy, and the biology lecture was so boring…. 

Just as he started to nod off, the person sitting in front of him whispered to her friend, “Did you hear about Donald Duck?” 

Suddenly, he was a little more awake than before, straining to hear the answer. Donald Duck? As in the guy he used to babysit his nephews for? One of his dad’s best friends, that Donald Duck? 

“No. Who’s Donald Duck?”

“Oh, right. I forget you aren’t from Duckburg…. You know Scrooge McDuck, right? Or maybe Duck Avenger?” 

“Uh, duh. Owner and CEO of McDuck Enterprises. And Duck Avenger… that superhero from a decade ago?”

“Right! Well, Donald Duck is McDuck’s nephew, right? He also used to be the Duck Avenger’s best friend. And he is totally missing right now. Just, like, gone.” 

_ And he is totally missing right now,  _ the words echo in Max’s head. The duck who paid him to babysit the triplets. The duck who helped him and his dad through his mom’s death. The duck who was his dad’s best friend. The duck who was basically a second dad to him. 

_ That _ duck was missing? He was suddenly very much awake. 

“Oh, wow. And McDuck is the richest duck in the world. So… wow. Is this a ransom thing? Or a vengeance against a superhero thing?”

Max’s heart got caught in his throat, fighting for dominance with the lump that was starting to grow there. 

“Yeah, probably. Or at least that’s what people are saying on Chirrup. There’s a lot of theories…. He has three kids, you know.”

“Oh, that’s real sad.”

“Yeah, but I heard their mom came back from her disappearance a while back so at least there’s that.”

“Huh.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Er. Well, it’s just… that’s kind of suspicious, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, that the mom is back and now he’s gone. Was he, like, their legal guardian?” 

“Oh man, you know I think so! Are you saying that she, I dunno, got rid of him so she could have custody?”   


“No! I mean… I don’t know. It’s just, you know, weird.” 

“Still a cool theory… I’m gonna Chirp it!”

“You and your conspiracy theories….” 

The two girls’ conversation faded but Max’s thoughts raced.  _ Was  _ it a ransom or a vengeance thing? Was Donald being tortured somewhere for his friendship with a retired superhero? Was he locked up in a dark basement somewhere, held against his will until miserly old Scrooge coughed up some cash? 

_ That’s not going to happen,  _ Max realized in silent horror, his stomach sinking to his feet.  _ Everyone in Duckburg knows that Scrooge McDuck doesn’t pay ransoms.  _ If he wasn’t sitting down, he would have collapsed considering how weak his legs suddenly became. 

_ I have to see if dad knows.  _

With shaky hands, he took out his cell phone to discreetly text his father. He hoped he heard it gently from someone who loves Donald and not through gossip like he did. His dad is a little too kindhearted for that sort of thing….

* * *

Gladstone’s luck was a gift, really. After all, if he were as unlucky as his poor cousin Donald, then Gladstone wouldn’t have landed a spot on this awesome one-month cruise. Apparently the cruise line was close to shutting down and they were just one person short of being able to stay in business since some guy couldn’t make it onboard. Gladstone happened to be the lucky duck who was walking by at the right time to be offered the spot. 

Earlier he had heard whispers from one of the cruise workers about how the guy whose spot he’d taken had apparently gone missing, and while that was unfortunate for that guy, it was good luck for him. 

Life was going good. He was free from the House of the Lucky Gander, he had a solid gold yacht to go back to after this cruise, and whatever else his luck had in store for him. 

The sudden gasps of alarm and curiosity startled Gladstone out of his musings, and he turned to see what everyone was staring and pointing at on the ocean. 

There, in the distance, was some sort of monster krill, and on it’s back there sat a red blob….

….a red blob that was his Cousin Fethry!

Gladstone grinned: he hadn’t seen his cousin in a while, since he’s been cooped up in that underwater lab of Uncle McDuncle’s and all, so he was excited to see him, even if he was a bit eccentric. But wasn’t everyone in their family?

“Fethry!” he cried out, running to the guardrail to lean against it and wave down his cousin. “Fethry, over here! Can you hear me?” And of course, since his luck permitted it, Fethry did. 

The giant krill made its way over right next to the cruise ship, the people on board either gawking at the site or running in fear, and Gladstone’s delight grew. What a great trip! A free cruise and getting to see his reclusive cousin. 

But when Fethry got close enough for Gladstone to see, Fethry didn’t share his excitement. 

His beak was set in a frown, his eyes dark and upset. His shoulders looked so heavy, like they weighed tons. He was nothing like the happy Fethry he’d last seen.

“Fethry?” he asked, now caught up to the fact that something was wrong. “What’s up?”

“Donald’s missing,” his cousin answered, a grimace on his face, and Gladstone was suddenly transported back ten years. 

“Wh-what?” That can’t be. Not Donald. He was important. He was too important. He took care of the kids, they were  _ his _ kids, neither Fethry or Gladstone could take care of Donald’s kids! Uncle Scrooge couldn’t, either: the miser was too emotionally constipated to take care of kids without Donald there as a buffer! “You’re kidding.”

“I’m not.” His cousin, normally so lighthearted, was as grave as the day they finally declared Della dead four years ago. It was one of the only times they’d all been together after Della had left -- with the exclusion of the kids since Donald didn’t want them knowing of their relation to Uncle Scrooge. “I’m going to Uncle Scrooge’s. You coming?”

“Of course I am,” he answered immediately. And then he was jumping over the guardrail and onto a giant krill. 

They had another cousin to find. This time, they’d succeed.

* * *

“Lyla. You know you aren’t--”

“I know. But listen, it’s about Donald.”

“...Donald? Is everything okay?”

“No. He…. He’s missing.”

“....”

“Are you still there? Listen, everything will be okay, Uno. I’m looking--”

_ Click. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max kidnaps the kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have 0 excuses ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> This quarantine business made me write this last night lmao 
> 
> Enjoy this chapter!

Max Goof and his father were led into the Manor by a woman who his dad introduced as Mrs. Beakley. Her face when she saw them after opening the door was solemn and grim, though she offered a small, polite smile. 

The closer they got to the sitting room, the more obvious it became that Max and his dad weren’t the first of Donald’s friends to arrive. They would hear yelling grow louder the closer they got, and Max winced at some of the words and accusations being thrown back and forth. 

Once there, they saw Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck (no relation to the Ducks). Daisy, red-faced, was the one doing all the yelling. With a temper like her’s and one like Donald’s, it was no wonder the two broke up. 

“--No, you be quiet!” she was shouting at Scrooge. “How dare you? How dare you tell me to be quiet when you didn’t know that Donald was missing! For fifteen days! And Della is back now all of a sudden? And no one thought to tell us? I thought we were friends! I thought you cared about us! I--” 

She was starting to lose some steam, Max observed, and clearly everyone else around saw that, too. 

“I guess I thought a lot of things….”

Minnie drew closer to Daisy and rested a gloved hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay,” she soothed the other girl. “It’s okay, Daisy, it’s okay…”

“It’s not okay!” She came back full force. “Being left out of the loop like this is not okay! This-- this willful ignorance and lack of care for Donald is not okay! It’s always been like this with them and you know it, Minnie. They don’t  _ care  _ about Donald, they only care about the next fucking adventure.”

“That’s not true!” Della protested with tears in her eyes. 

“Oh?” Daisy laughed bitterly, and there was enough venom in her voice to kill a man. “That’s rich, coming from  _ you _ .”

Della flinched back, as if struck, and Scrooge growled.

“That’s enough, lass!” he said, gritting his teeth.

“Oh, no it isn’t--”

“Daisy,” Mickey cut in before she could finish, and the exhaustion in his voice made her stop. “No. He’s right. Yelling at them isn’t going to solve anything.”

“It’ll make me feel better,” she shot back. “And that, at least, is solving one thing.” 

He sighed, as if he expected that answer, and his eyes fell on Max and his dad. 

“Goofy,” he said, probably relieved to have another level head here. “And Max. Good to see you too. How is college, Max?” 

The room is still thick with tension, but Daisy lets out a harsh breath and crosses her arms and lets the subject change. 

Max fidgets with the new attention on him. 

“Oh, uh, it’s going alright. Biology is totally kicking my ass right now.”

“Language, son,” Goofy chastises him, though there’s no scolding tone in his voice. 

“Yeah, biology wasn’t my forte in college, either.” Mickey chuckled. 

“Wow, Goofy,” Della said with a thin smile, “It’s amazing to see you again! And Max, already in college? You were so small last time I saw you.”

“Yeah,” Goofy agreed, an edge to his tone that had Max stare up at him in shock. “We could’ve met up sooner, had you told anyone that you were back.” 

Max’s jaw dropped at the absolute  _ shade _ his dad was throwing and from the corner of his eye, he saw Daisy straighten up at the new ally and Mickey lower his head into his hands. 

The light faded from Della’s eyes.

“I know,” she said. “I know I should’ve--”

“No,” Goofy cut off with a solemn shake of his head. He wasn’t yelling like Daisy. This probably would have been better if he was. Instead, his voice was at a steady, calm volume. “I don’t think you do. Della, you’ve always had your head in the clouds. You don’t….”

As his dad spoke, Max spots the triplets plus one loitering at the entrance to the sitting room, all with nervous, scared expressions across their faces. All this screaming was probably stressing them out. 

He walked away from his dad and the other adults, toward the kids. Once they saw him coming, they squeaked and ducked out of the doorway, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping. When he crossed the threshold into the next hall, he saw them trying and failing to act natural. 

“Hey, kids,” he greeted with a sad smile. 

“Hi, Max,” the triplets all replied with too innocent grins. 

“Who’s your friend?” he asked, gesturing to the girl, who let out a nervous laugh. 

“That’s Webby,” Huey said the same time she introduced herself, “I’m Webby!” 

“Hey, Webby, I’m Max. Goofy’s son. It’s good to meet you.”

“I-I’m Mrs. Beakley’s granddaughter! So I live here with HDL.”

“HDL?”   


“Huey, Dewey, and Louie,” she clarified with a blush. 

“Oh, that’s clever.” 

“Thanks,” she said, then winced with the triplets when Daisy let out a particularly loud insult. 

“Yeah. Hey, why don’t I take you four out to Funzo’s? My treat, obviously.” He’d just gotten a return from the university. He was planning on using it for books for next semester, but this was more important. They shouldn’t have to hear all the adults currently in their lives be so angry at one another -- and Max knew that they couldn’t just go up to their rooms and pretend it wasn’t happening. 

“‘Really?” Louie asked with wide eyes.    


“Yeah, of course. We’ll just tell Mrs. Beakley and be on our way, quietly out the door.” 

“I already know, Max,” said a voice from behind him, and he jumped in response. 

“Oh, shit!” he cursed -- college really was giving him a bad vocabulary. He should  _ at least _ try to not use it in front of the kids. “I mean, uh-- oh, dear?”

“Nice save,” Mrs. Beakley said dryly, and Max let out a nervous chuckle. She directed her next statement to the kids, “Children, change into something other than their usual clothes. Now that you’ve been introduced to the world as Scrooge McDuck’s great-nephews, the media is aware of you and is not afraid to hound children when it comes to a good story.” 

“Yes, Granny!” Webby says the same time the triplets chorus, “Yes, Mrs. B!” Then they all scurry off for the stairs. 

“Max,” she says after they leave, “I’ll be sure to have you paid back for taking them out. Save the receipt and give it to me when you drop them back off here.”

“Oh, I don’t need--”

“Nonsense,” she hushed him. “You’re doing a good thing, getting them out of the Manor at a time like this. They shouldn’t be exposed to such arguing and they shouldn’t be cooped up to fester in worry, either. You’re being more of an adult than any of them in there.” She tilted her head back to the sitting room, where there was still so much yelling. 

“I-I guess so….” 

“Right then. Save the receipt, drop it off with them. Be back by four, yes? And do try to stay for supper.”

With that, Mrs. B walked away, and Max shook his head in confusion at what just happened. 

It was only a few more minutes of waiting before the triplets and Webby came barrelling down the stairs, all in new clothes. Huey was now in a simple navy blue T-shirt and a black beanie, Louie was in a black hoodie, and Dewey was in a yellow long-sleeved shirt and accessorized with black sunglasses. As for Webby, she was in a green shirt with sparkles and a simple black shirt. 

“Oh, looking good, kids,” Max said. “Now, who wants to sneak out the back?”

“Me!” they all cheered, and as they did just that, Max shot off a text to his father detailing what they were doing. 

As they walked on the sidewalk to the bus stop that was a few blocks away, Dewey, Louie, and Webby seemed to always be a few steps ahead, whereas Huey hung back with Max. After a little bit longer, the gap between the two grew larger. 

This was apparently what Huey wanted because as soon as he thought they were far enough away, he quietly asked, “Max, do you think Uncle Donald is okay?”

Max almost tripped over air. 

“I--”

“And don’t lie to me, either.” Huey was looking down at the sidewalk, a scowl on his beak but his eyes looking a little too teary for him to be angry. “I’m old enough for the truth.”

Max sighed and rested his palm on Huey’s shoulder. 

_ No, you aren’t. But here we are.  _

“Huey,” he says carefully. “The truth is, I don’t know.” He thought of the girls in front of him in biology, of all the superhero and ransom gossip. He thought of his own panicky conclusions. “What I  _ do _ know is that your uncle is the strongest man I’ve ever met and that he loves you and your brothers more than anything. I know that he’d do anything for you guys, and that includes survive so he can come back for you.” 

“You really think so?” 

Max gave a watery laugh, “C’mon, kid! Weren’t you listening? There’s no  _ I think  _ about it. Huey,  _ I know _ he’ll come back.” 

Huey choked back a sob and flung himself into Max’s arms, stopping him in his tracks so he could catch the emotional eleven-year-old. 

“Thanks, Max,” he whispered, then withdrew himself from his arms in favor of holding his hand. He sniffed a few times, wiped away his tears with his free hand, then tugged Max forward to catch up with his siblings. 

“Anytime, Huey.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goofy being Daisy's ally in yelling at Della and Scrooge was super unexpected for me. He's so easygoing but he kinda took over and was like, "Let me defend my friend!!! :( " and I was like "Shit okay, go ahead." 
> 
> Minnie also wants to yell but she's more likely to be Southern about it and just give little comments here and there. As for Mickey, yes he's upset but he wants to have a talk about it rather than an argument. 
> 
> They're all tired of Donald being treated like shit. They are just expressing it in different ways.
> 
> Max wants answers just as much as any of Donald's friends but he is prioritizing the kids' well-being because as stated in the previous chapter, he was their babysitter. He is used to taking care of them by himself in a way that the other adults aren't.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some reflecting and then some actual communication. But only a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If some of y'all keep leaving me such amazing comments I'll be having to write these updates through happy tears like wow
> 
> Also I'm so soft I'm not gonna give any spoilers to the newest episode but oh my heart hurts for Donald y'all he needs the vacation that he never got so desperately

“I just--” Della cut herself off, her voice shaking and eyes watery. She swallowed, clearly struggling to hold back tears, and Goofy felt sympathy for her. He really did. She’s been gone ten years -- still hasn’t gotten the story of her return out of the McDucks, but he plans on it -- and surely she didn’t mean for her absence to extend that long. That was ten years away from her boys, after all, and Goofy couldn’t even begin to  _ imagine  _ that agony. He didn’t want to. 

Ten years of not knowing his Max? God, it was unfathomable. Ten years of Max growing up without him, of losing his mother when his father was already gone -- yeah, it was best that Goofy didn’t think too hard on it. He would only succeed in hurting himself if he did. 

And besides, that wasn’t the problem at hand. Not Della’s disappearance, nor her return -- though it would be the problem at hand later on -- but instead, Donald’s disappearance was. The fact that he, Mickey, and Minnie had to find out about it through the fucking  _ news _ , that his son found out about it through gossip? Intolerable. The fact that he’s been missing for over a month now and they’ve only just noticed? Even worse. They are his  _ family _ \-- they should have noticed!

They… they should have….

_ We should have noticed, too. Shouldn’t we? When he didn’t call like he promised he would after the month was up? When we thought that maybe he was just too busy reuniting with his family? When we made up excuse after excuse?  _

Goofy was going to be sick. Sick with shame and horror -- Donald was his best friend, was Max’s godfather, for God’s sake--

Oh. Wow. They were all a little at fault here, huh? 

_ They still should have noticed,  _ a voice argued stubbornly in his head.  _ They live with him. They knew when he’d be back.  _

Goofy found himself agreeing. Yes, he and the others were guilty -- but certainly not the most guilty. And didn’t they deserve to have Daisy scream her wrath out at them? Didn’t they deserve Minnie’s cleverly worded insinuations and insults? Didn’t they deserve Mickey’s silent but condemning glowers? And didn’t they deserve his own simmering ire? 

How many times had Donald called one of them crying because of something Della or Scrooge had done? How many times had Donald been injured because of them? How many times has he been forgotten by them, taken for granted by them? How many nights has Donald gone consecutively without sleep to work his jobs to support him and the boys? How many jobs has he worked at once? 

The answer was too many. Too many by a long shot. 

In a way, his son’s best friend, PJ, reminds him of Donald. He doesn’t come from a family that treats him the best, either -- the only leg that the McDucks had over PJ’s father was that they’d never raised a fist against Donald. 

Neglect was still abuse, though.

But Donald loves them. He loves them because that’s what you do to family. You love them. Even when you shouldn’t. At least in Donald’s eyes when he views his situation because Lord knows that Donald was as happy as he was when Goofy informed him that PJ was officially moving out of his father’s house and into an apartment with Max. 

That was Donald for you. So ready to care for someone else while ignoring his pains and hurts. 

“You just what, Della?” he finally spoke when she’d been quiet too long. He had sympathy for her. He did. But he had more empathy for Donald, his best friend and the best man he’d ever known. 

She took in a shuddering breath and then steeled herself, “I was just so happy to be back, to see my boys. I didn’t…. You were right. Earlier, I mean. I don’t think things through. I’m… we”--she spared a quick glance at her uncle--”are always jumping to the next big thing.” 

“Lass--” Scrooge tried, but she shook her head. 

“No, Uncle Scrooge. They’re right to be angry. We’re Donald’s family. He’s-- he’s my twin. And we had no clue that he was due back a week ago. This… this is on us.” 

“Well, what about them?” Scrooge spat out, gesturing to Goofy and his other friends. Daisy’s feathers ruffled up defensively, and Goofy was admittedly a little frightened at how she hadn’t lost any steam since he’d gotten back. “They’re his friends! Why didn’t they notice anything if they’re so perfect?” 

“We aren’t perfect,” Minnie’s cold voice suddenly cut in, and Mickey looked more than surprised at his wife’s stormy expression. “No one is claiming to be. It’s just we think that the people he lives with should have noticed that he never came back when he was supposed to.” 

Mickey cleared his throat and spoke up before Scrooge could retort, “We aren’t here to argue--”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Scrooge muttered with a baleful glare at Daisy, who made a  _ hmp!  _ sound and turned her head away. 

“--but we are here to discuss Della’s return and Donald’s disappearance. Are there any leads?” 

Scrooge didn’t completely lose the angry look in his eyes, but he did soften marginally as his shoulders slumped, “No, nothing. It’s like he completely disappeared. He was at the bus stop and then… just gone. He never boarded the bus.”

“Gone?” Daisy scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Oh, so what? Aliens abducted him, then?” 

“Of course not!” Della denied. “I’ve met aliens, I’ll have you know, and they aren’t kidnappers.” 

“Are you serious?” Mickey asked.

“Yeah, the Moonlanders are really nice! Don’t say anything about the Moon not being a planet around them, though. They don’t like that much. While there I had this roommate named Penny and she--”

“Wait, hold on,” Minnie interrupted her. “Are you telling us you’ve been on the moon this whole time?”

“Yep, I have! With nothing but myself and soul-crushing loneliness and a Moon monster for seven years and then the Moonlanders for the last three!” 

_ Well,  _ Goofy thought to himself, quoting that comedian Max and PJ love so much,  _ we don’t have time to unpack  _ ** _all_ ** _ of that.  _

“Maybe,” Daisy started, the calmest and most uncertain Goofy has heard her since arriving at the Manor, “We should start discussing how you came back to earth.” 

“Yeah,” Della sighed in exhaustion with a bitter laugh, “Maybe we should.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Della: I have this roommate, Penny--
> 
> Me, whispering: And they were roommates. 
> 
> So this being in Goofy's POV was a surprise. I thought I was gonna write Gladstone and Fethry into this one but I guess not. Have no clue for the next chapter either. Why create expectations for myself if I won't follow through? lol

**Author's Note:**

> Chirrup is Twitter and Chirping is Tweeting... yeah, I'm not clever. 
> 
> I don't think the show gave a name for the village "where everyone was nice".... so I made one up. Vila Flor Vermelha means Red Flower Village because in addition to me not being clever, I'm also not creative. 
> 
> No one outside of Duckburg knows that Della is back. This is honestly just the vibe I got from the show. I mean, sis was missing for a decade. If people knew, then the Manor would be swarmed with old friends and family. We didn't see that in the show, so this is the route I'm taking. Of course, now that Channel 17 made that broadcast, everyone knows.... Yikes. The McDucks are in for a wild ride.
> 
> Up next: confrontations at the Manor.


End file.
